Brittney Griner honored in Phoenix return, leads Atlanta Dream to 90-79 victory over Mercury
In a highly anticipated return to the city where she spent over a decade of her career, Brittney Griner delivered a strong performance to lead the Atlanta Dream past the Phoenix Mercury, 90-79, on Wednesday night. Griner, who played 11 seasons with the Mercury and was instrumental in their 2014 WNBA championship and 2021 Finals run, scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds against her former team.
Before tip-off at the Footprint Center, Phoenix paid tribute to Griner with an emotional video honoring her years of dedication and impact. WNBA legend and longtime teammate Diana Taurasi was in attendance, seated courtside during the ceremony, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.
Allisha Gray led the way for Atlanta with a game-high 28 points, including a key layup with just over three minutes remaining that gave the Dream a commanding 84-71 lead. Though Phoenix rallied with back-to-back 3-pointers by Sami Whitcomb to cut the deficit to seven, Griner responded with a clutch basket in the paint to push the lead to 86-77 and seal the win for the Dream.
Jordin Canada added 14 points and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough contributed 11 for Atlanta, which improved to 14-10 with the win. Notably, the Dream were without Rhyne Howard, the team’s second-leading scorer, who averages 16.5 points per game. Gray’s efficient shooting—10-of-16 from the field—secured her 10th 20-point game of the season.
For Phoenix, both Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper returned to the starting lineup after missing time due to injuries since July 3. Sabally scored 13 points in her return, while Copper added 10. DeWanna Bonner led the Mercury with 18 points, and Alyssa Thomas came close to a triple-double, finishing with seven points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists.
Despite shooting just 29.7% from the field and hitting only 3 of 15 attempts from beyond the arc, the Mercury kept things competitive in the first half by converting all nine of their free throws. Gray’s 13 first-half points helped Atlanta carry a 39-34 lead into the break, and the Dream held control down the stretch to close out the game.
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